SIGHTSEEING IN IPSWICH

HERITAGE TRAILS & TOURS

If you absolutely had to describe Ipswich’s charms with just a one-word adjective, it would be ‘heritage’. There are so many buildings with the words ‘first’ or ‘oldest’ attached to them that making a heritage-themed trip is a no-brainer. As the oldest provincial city in Queensland, Ipswich offers visitors such a large array of historically significant homes, public buildings, pubs, churches and cemeteries that you’ll need more than a day to take it all in.

There are serval self-guided Heritage Trails mapped out, with one of the most popular being in and around the City Centre itself. Ipswich is still a very manageable city in which to get around so you can navigate your way with ease.

You can’t help but be impressed by the eastern entrance to Ipswich as you descend the hill past Queens Park. A remnant of the city’s convict past as a lime quarry is the imposing Cunningham’s knoll, where you can climb up the stone cairns and enjoy a panoramic view. Close by is the gorgeous historical home, Claremont, constructed in 1857 for cotton merchant John Panton- just one of the architectural delights of Ipswich. Another central city home in the ‘pretty as a picture’ category is Ginn Cottage, believed to be one of Ipswich’s oldest surviving brick cottages.

Then of course there are the handsome public buildings, from the renowned and revamped Ipswich Art Gallery- housed in what was the first town hall ever built in Queensland- to the attractive Post Office with the clock tower that’s helped many an Ipswichian be on time for appointments for well over a century.

Ipswich offers all the modern facilities and attractions of a progressive city. Attractions include the Ipswich Art Gallery, the Workshops Rail Museum, steam trains, more than 500 parks, wineries, cafes, restaurants, cinemas and shopping centres. If getting a bird’s eye view of the Ipswich region is something you fancy you can take a hot air balloon ride or a helicopter tour.